Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual Property Rights

 What is Intellectual Property
 What is Patent
 What is a Trademark
 What is an Industrial Design
 What Is a Geographical Indication
 What are Copyright and Related Rights?
 What is the World Intellectual Property
Organization
What is Intellectual Property
Intellectual property refers to creations of the mind: inventions;
literary and artistic works; and symbols, names and images used in
commerce.

Two categories:
Industrial Property - patents for inventions, trademarks, industrial
designs and geographical indications.

Copyright - covers literary works (such as novels, poems and plays),

films, music, artistic works (e.g., drawings, paintings, photographs
and sculptures) and architectural design.
Rights related to copyright include those of performing artists in their
performances, producers and phonograms in their recordings and
broadcasters in their radio and television programmes
What are Intellectual property rights?
 Intellectual property rights are like any other
property right. They allow creators, or owners, of
patents, trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit
from their own work or investment in a creation. These
rights are outlined in Article 27 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, which provides for the
right to benefit from the protection of moral and
material interests resulting from authorship of
scientific, literacy or artistic Productions
 The importance of intellectual property was first
recognized in the Paris Convention for the
Protection of Industrial Property (1883) and the Berne
Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic
Works (1886). Both treaties are administered by the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
Why promote and protect Intellectual
property?
 There are several compelling reasons.
 First, the progress and well-being of humanity rest on
its capacity to create and invent new works in the
areas of technology and culture.
 Second, the legal protection of new creations
encourages the commitment of additional resources
for further innovation.
 Third, the promotion and protection of intellectual
property spurs economic growth, creates new jobs
and industries, and enhances the quality and
enjoyment of life.
 An efficient and equitable intellectual property system
can help all countries to realize intellectual property’s
potential as a catalyst for economic development and
social and cultural well-being.
 The intellectual property system helps strike a
balance between the interests of innovators and the
public interest, providing an environment in which
creativity and invention can flourish, for the benefit
of all.
What is a Patent
How does the average person benefit?
 Intellectual property rights reward creativity and human endeavor,
which fuel the progress of humankind. Some examples:

 The multibillion dollar film, recording, publishing and software

industries – which bring pleasure to millions of people worldwide –
would not exist without copyright protection.

 Without the rewards provided by the patent system, researchers and

inventors would have little incentive to continue producing better
and more efficient products for consumers.

 Consumers would have no means to confidently buy products or

services without reliable, international trademark protection and
enforcement mechanisms to discourage counterfeiting and piracy.
What is a Patent
 A patent is an exclusive right granted for an invention –
 a product or process that provides a new way of doing something, or that
offers a new technical solution to a problem.
 A patent provides patent owners with protection for their inventions.
Protection is granted for a limited period, generally 20 years.

 Why are patents necessary

 Patents provide incentives to individuals by recognizing their
creativity and offering the possibility of material reward for their
marketable inventions. These incentives encourage innovation,
which in turn enhances the quality of human life.
What kind of protection do patents offer?
 Patent protection means an invention cannot be commercially made,
used, distributed or sold without the patent owner’s consent. Patent
rights are usually enforced in courts that, in most systems, hold the
authority to stop patent infringement. Conversely,
 a court can also declare a patent invalid upon a successful challenge by
a third party.
What rights do patent owners have?
 A patent owner has the right to decide who may – or may not – use
the patented invention for the period during which it is protected.
Patent owners may give permission to, or license, other parties to use
their inventions on mutually agreed terms. Owners may also sell their
invention rights to someone else, who then becomes the new owner of
the patent. Once a patent expires, protection ends and the invention
enters the public domain. This is also known as becoming off patent,
meaning the owner no longer holds exclusive rights to the invention,
and it becomes available for commercial exploitation by others.
What role do patents play in everyday life?
 Patented inventions have pervaded every aspect of human life,
from electric lighting (patents held by Edison and Swan) and
sewing machines (patents held by Howe and Singer), to
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (patents held by
Damadian) and the iPhone (patents held by Apple).
 In return for patent protection, all patent owners are obliged to
publicly disclose information on their inventions in order to
enrich the total body of technical knowledge in the world. This
ever- increasing body of public knowledge promotes further
creativity and innovation. Patents therefore provide not only
protection for their owners but also valuable information and
inspiration for future generations of researchers and inventors.
How is a patent granted?
The first step in securing a patent is to file a patent application. The
application generally contains the title of the invention, as well as an
indication of its technical field. It must include the background and a
description of the invention, in clear language and enough detail that
an individual with an average understanding of the field could use or
reproduce the invention. Such descriptions are usually accompanied
by visual materials – drawings, plans or diagrams – that describe the
invention in greater detail. The application also contains various
“claims”, that is, information to help determine the extent of protection
to be granted by the patent.
What kinds of inventions can be
protected?
 An invention must, in general, fulfill the following conditions to be
protected by a patent.
 It must be of practical use; it must show an element of “novelty”,
meaning some new characteristic that is not part of the body of
existing knowledge in its particular technical field. That body of
existing knowledge is called “prior art”. The invention must show an
“inventive step” that could not be deduced by a person with average
knowledge of the technical field. Its subject matter must be accepted
as “patentable” under law. In many countries, scientific theories,
mathematical methods, plant or animal varieties, discoveries of natural
substances, commercial methods or methods of medical treatment (as
opposed to medical products) are not generally patentable.
Who grants patents?
 Patents are granted by national patent offices or by regional
offices that carry out examination work for a group of countries
–
 for example, the European Patent Office (EPO) and
 the Indian Intellectual Property Organization (IAPI).
 Under such regional systems, an applicant requests protection
for an invention in one or more countries, and each country
decides whether to offer patent protection within its borders.
The WIPO-administered Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT)
provides for the filing of a single international patent
application that has the same effect as national applications
filed in the designated countries. An applicant seeking
protection may file one application and request protection in as
many signatory states as needed.
What is a trademark
 A trademark is a distinctive sign that identifies certain
goods or services produced or provided by an individual or
a company. Its origin dates back to ancient times when
craftsmen reproduced their signatures, or “marks”, on their
artistic works or products of a functional or practical
nature.
 Over the years, these marks have evolved into today’s
system of trademark registration and protection. The
system helps consumers to identify and purchase a
product or service based on whether its specific
characteristics and quality – as indicated by its unique
trademark– meet their needs.
What do Trademarks do?
 Trademark protection ensures that the owners of marks have
the exclusive right to use them to identify goods or services, or
to authorize others to use them in return for payment. The
period of protection varies, but a trademark can be renewed
indefinitely upon payment of the corresponding fees.
Trademark protection is legally enforced by courts that, in
most systems, have the authority to stop trademark
infringement.
 In a larger sense, trademarks promote initiative and enterprise
worldwide by rewarding their owners with recognition and
financial profit. Trademark protection also hinders the efforts
of unfair competitors, such as counterfeiters, to use similar
distinctive signs to market inferior or different products or
services. The system enables people with skill and enterprise to
produce and market goods and services in the fairest possible
conditions, thereby facilitating international trade.
What kinds of Trademarks can be
registered?
 Trademarks may be one or a combination of words, letters and numerals.
They may consist of drawings, symbols or three- dimensional signs, such as the
shape and packaging of goods.
 In some countries, non-traditional marks may be registered for
distinguishing features such as holograms, motion, color and non-visible signs
(sound, smell or taste).
 In addition to identifying the commercial source of goods or services, several
other trademark categories also exist. Collective marks are owned by an
association whose members use them to indicate products with a certain level
of quality and who agree to adhere to specific requirements set by the
association. Such associations might represent, for example, accountants,
engineers or architects.
 Certification marks are given for compliance with defined standards but are
not confined to any membership. They may be granted to anyone who can
certify that their products meet certain established standards. Some examples of
recognized certification are the internationally accepted “ISO 9000” quality
standards and Ecolabels for products with reduced environmental impact.
What is an Industrial
Design?
 An industrial design refers to the ornamental or aesthetic aspects of an
article. A design may consist of three-dimensional features, such as the
shape or surface of an article, or two-dimensional features, such as
patterns, lines or color.
 Industrial designs are applied to a wide variety of industrial products and
handicrafts: from technical and medical instruments to watches, jewelry
and other luxury items; from house wares and electrical appliances to
vehicles and architectural structures; from textile designs to leisure goods.

 To be protected under most national laws, an industrial design must be

new or original and non- functional. This means that an industrial design is
primarily of an aesthetic nature, and any technical features of the article to
which it is applied are not protected by the design registration. However,
those features could be protected by a patent.
Why protect industrial
designs?
 Industrial designs are what make an article attractive and appealing;
hence, they add to the commercial value of a product and increase its
marketability.
 When an industrial design is protected, the owner – the person or entity
that has registered the design – is assured an exclusive right and protection
against unauthorized copying or imitation of the design by third parties.
 This helps to ensure a fair return on investment. An effective system of
protection also benefits consumers and the public at large, by promoting
fair competition and honest trade practices, encouraging creativity and
promoting more aesthetically pleasing products.
 Protecting industrial designs helps to promote economic development by
encouraging creativity in the industrial and manufacturing sectors, as well as
in traditional arts and crafts. Designs contribute to the expansion of
commercial activity and the export of national products.
 Industrial designs can be relatively simple and
inexpensive to develop and protect. They are
reasonably accessible to small and medium-sized
enterprises as well as to individual artists and
craftsmakers, in both developed and developing
countries.
What is a Geographical
Indication?
 A geographical indication is a sign used on goods that have a
specific geographical origin and possess qualities or a reputation
due to that place of origin. Most commonly, a geographical
indication consists of the name of the place of origin of the goods.
Agricultural products typically have qualities that derive from their
place of production and are influenced by specific local geographical
factors, such as climate and soil. Whether a sign functions as a
geographical indication is a matter of national law and consumer
perception.
 Geographical indications may be used for a wide variety of
agricultural products, such as, for example, “Darjeeling” for Tea
produced in a specific area of West Bengal, or “Uthukuli” for
cheese produced in that region of Erode.
 The use of geographical indications is not limited to
agricultural products. They may also highlight
specific qualities of a product that are due to human
factors found in the product’s place of origin, such
as specific manufacturing skills and traditions. The
place of origin may be a village or town, a region or
a country. An example of the latter is “Switzerland”
or “Swiss”, perceived as a geographical indication in
many countries for products made in Switzerland
and, in particular, for watches.
Why do geographical
indications need protection?
 Geographical indications are understood by consumers
to denote the origin and quality of products. Many of
them have acquired valuable reputations which, if not
adequately protected, may be misrepresented by
commercial operators. False use of geographical
indications by unauthorized parties, for example
“Darjeeling” for tea that was not grown in the tea
gardens of Darjeeling, is detrimental to consumers and
legitimate producers. The former are deceived into
believing they are buying a genuine product with
specific qualities and characteristics, and the latter are
deprived of valuable business and suffer damage to the
established reputation of their products.
What is a “ generic”
geographical indication?
 If the name of a place is used to designate a
particular type of product, rather than to indicate its
place of origin, the term no longer functions as a
geographical indication. For example, “Ooty Varky”, a
kind of varky that originated many years ago in the
Ooty town of TN, has, over time, come to denote
Varky of that kind made in many places.
 Hence, “ Ooty Varky” is now a generic indication
and refers to a type of product, rather than a place.
How are geographical
indications protected?
 Geographical indications are protected in accordance
with national laws and under a wide range of concepts,
such as laws against unfair competition, consumer
protection laws, laws for the protection of certification
marks or special laws for the protection of geographical
indications or appellations of origin. In essence,
unauthorized parties may not use geographical
indications if such use is likely to mislead the public as to
the true origin of the product. Applicable sanctions
range from court injunctions preventing unauthorized
use to the payment of damages and fines or, in serious
cases, imprisonment. (Kumbakonam Degree Coffee)
Copyrights and Related Rights
Copyright laws grant authors, artists and other creators protection for their

literary and artistic creations, generally referred to as “works”. A closely associated field

is “related rights” or rights related to copyright that encompass rights similar or

identical to those of copyright, although sometimes more limited and of shorter

duration. The beneficiaries of related rights are:

 performers (such as actors and musicians) in their performances;
 producers of phonograms (for example, compact discs) in their sound recordings; and
 broadcasting organizations in their radio and television programs.

Works covered by copyright include, but are not limited to: novels, poems,

plays, reference works, newspapers, advertisements, computer programs, databases,

films, musical compositions, choreography, paintings, drawings, photographs, sculpture,

architecture, maps and technical drawings.

What rights do copyright and
related rights provide?
 The creators of works protected by copyright, and their heirs and successors
(generally referred to as “right holders”), have certain basic rights under copyright law.
They hold the exclusive right to use or authorize others to use the work on agreed
terms. The right holder(s) of a work can authorize or prohibit:
 its reproduction in all forms, including print form and sound recording;
 its public performance and communication to the public; its broadcasting;
 its translation into other languages; and
 its adaptation, such as from a novel to a screenplay for a film.

 Similar rights of, among others, fixation (recording) and reproduction are granted under
related rights.
 Many types of works protected under the laws of copyright and related rights require
mass distribution, communication and financial investment for their successful
dissemination (for example, publications, sound recordings and films). Hence,
creators often transfer these rights to companies better able to develop and market
the works, in return for compensation in the form of payments and/or royalties
(compensation based on a percentage of revenues generated by the work).
What are the benefits of protecting copyright and related
rights?

 Copyright and related rights protection is an essential

component in fostering human creativity and innovation.
Giving authors, artists and creators incentives in the form of
recognition and fair economic reward increases their activity
and output and can also enhance the results. By ensuring the
existence and enforceability of rights, individuals and
companies can more easily invest in the creation, development
and global dissemination of their works.
 This, in turn, helps to increase access to and enhance the
enjoyment of culture, knowledge and entertainment the world
over, and also stimulates economic and social development.
How have copyright and related rights kept up with
advances in technology?
 The field of copyright and related rights has expanded enormously
during the last several decades with the spectacular progress of
technological development that has, in turn, yielded new ways of
disseminating creations by such forms of communication as satellite
broadcasting, compact discs and DVDs.
 Widespread dissemination of works via the Internet raises difficult
questions concerning copyright and related rights in this global
medium. WIPO is fully involved in the ongoing international debate
to shape new standards for copyright protection in cyberspace. In
that regard, the Organization administers the WIPO Copyright Treaty
(WCT) and the WIPO Performances and
 Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), known as the “Internet Treaties”.
These treaties clarify international norms aimed at preventing
unauthorized access to and use of creative works on the Internet.
How are copyright and related
rights regulated?
 Copyright and related rights protection is obtained automatically without the
need for registration or other formalities. However, many countries provide for a
national system of optional registration and deposit of works. These systems
facilitate, for example, questions involving disputes over ownership or creation,
financial transactions, sales, assignments and transfer of rights.
 Many authors and performers do not have the ability or means to pursue the
legal and administrative enforcement of their copyright and related rights, especially
given the increasingly global use of literary, music and performance rights. As a
result, the establishment and enhancement of collective management organizations
(CMOs), or “societies”, is a growing and necessary trend in many countries. These
societies can provide their members with efficient administrative support and legal
expertise in, for example, collecting, managing and disbursing royalties gained from
the national and international use of a work or performance. Certain rights of
producers of sound recordings and broadcasting organizations are sometimes
managed collectively as well.
What is the World Intellectual Property Organization?

 Established in 1970, the World Intellectual Property

Organization (WIPO) is an international organization
dedicated to helping ensure that the rights of creators and
owners of intellectual property are protected worldwide, and
that inventors and authors are therefore recognized and
rewarded for their ingenuity.
 This international protection acts as a spur to human
creativity, pushing back the limits of science and technology
and enriching the world of literature and the arts. By
providing a stable environment for marketing products
protected by intellectual property, it also oils the wheels of
international trade.
 WIPO works closely with its Member States and other
constituents to ensure the intellectual property system
remains a supple and adaptable tool for prosperity and well-
being, crafted to help realize the full potential of created
works for present and future generations.
How does WIPO promote
the protection of intellectual property?

 As part of the United Nations system of specialized agencies, WIPO

serves as a forum for its Member States to establish and harmonize rules
and practices for the protection of intellectual property rights. WIPO also
serves global registration systems for trademarks, industrial designs and
appellations of origin, and a global filing system for patents. These
systems are under regular review by WIPO’s Member States and other
stakeholders to determine how they can be improved to better serve the
needs of users and potential users.
 Many industrialized nations have intellectual property protection systems
that are centuries old. Among newer or developing countries, however,
many are in the process of building up their patent, trademark and
copyright legal frameworks and intellectual property systems. With the
increasing globalization of trade and rapid changes in technological
innovation, WIPO plays a key role in helping these systems to evolve
through treaty negotiation; legal and technical assistance; and training in
various forms, including in the area of enforcement.
 WIPO works with its Member States to make available
information on intellectual property and outreach tools
for a range of audiences – from the grassroots level
through to the business sector and policymakers – to
ensure its benefits are well recognized, properly
understood and accessible to all.
 How is WIPO funded?
 WIPO is a largely self-financed organization, generating
more than 90 percent of its annual budget through its
widely used International registration and filing
systems, as well as through its publications and
arbitration and mediation services. The remaining
funds come from contributions by Member States.